Lyle Waggoner makes New Jersey appearance

Our friend Brian Lombard comes through again ... The often-elusive Lyle Waggoner, whom we remember so fondly as Steve Trevor on the original "Wonder Woman" 1970s TV series, is out and about, doing cons now, evidently. He's making an appearance right now, this weekend, in New Jersey at a venue that shall remain nameless, for the bad experience we had there several years ago (an fried notebook, among other things -- don't ask). But Brian sends us this fun, fresh photo of himself and Mr. Waggoner, who did, indeed, compliment Brian's shirt ...

Photo courtesy of Brian Lombard; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Pretty Changes Barbie by Mattel

Accessorizing is everything, you know, when you're a girl who loves fashion! And the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys web series indulges your love of fashion choices. In 1979, Mattel released the Pretty Changes Barbie, which offered an array of looks in one lovely package. See her and (almost) every one of her pieces and parts, from BRB's childhood collection ...

According to Mattel's website, Pretty Changes Barbie came in two variations, one with a bottle of perfume, below, and yellow nylon jumpsuit, and one that came without the perfume but in a satin jumpsuit, above. It's the one above you'll see in this episode of Terrific non-TV Toys.

Photos from Barbie.Mattel.com and Collector Books.

 

"Dukes of Hazzard" stars have appearances lined up for May and beyond

Thanks to Phyllis, Cooter's Place and our friend Brian for the latest appearances and happenin's for the "Dukes of Hazzard" cast members ...

May 5
Come see Ben “Cooter” Jones playing music from 1 to 3 p.m. and then meeting fans after from 3 to 4 p.m.! (Free concert, free autographs)
Cooter’s in Luray, Virginia
4768 U.S. Highway 211 West
Luray, VA 22835
540-843-2515

May 12
Dukes of Hazzard Fan Get-Together at Cooter’s Place in Luray, VA
Cooter’s Place, Ben and Alma, and DukesCollector invite everyone who loves "The Dukes of Hazzard" to an old-fashioned Fan Get-Together at Cooter’s In The Valley in Luray on May 12. Just like the Old-Time Ridgerunners reunion in the "Dukes" episode “Days of Shine and Roses,” we welcome all fans to meet up, share "Dukes" stories, show off their "Dukes" cars and collectibles, meet fellow fans, and have a good ol’ "Dukes" time. Featuring music by Cooter’s Garage Band, "Dukes of Hazzard" trivia, Lego Master Cody from C3Brix, and Dave’s travelling "Dukes of Hazzard" Museum. Bring your scale model General Lee, your life-size General Lee, your favorite collectible, your favorite "Dukes of Hazzard" fan, your most cherished story, your most cherished autograph ... and the whole family!
Cooter’s in Luray, Virginia
4768 U.S. Highway 211 West
Luray, VA 22835
540-843-2515

John ("Bo Duke") Schneider will be in concert at the Twisted J - Bar, Backyard and Live Music Venue in Stephenville, Texas, on May 12. Get your tickets.

August 10-12
The Big Three of the "Dukes" -- John Schneider, Tom Wopat, Catherine Bach -- will be at the Steel City Con near Pittsburgh on August 10-12. Visit the site to learn more.

December 1-2
After the success of last weekend's Bo's Extravaganza event, Schneider has decided to have another event at John Schneider Studios. This event is called Bo's Christmas "Bozaar" and will be on December 1-2 at John Schneider Studios! Tickets are on sale now and prices will go up later so buy your tickets today! Get more information and tickets.

"Six Feet Under" Blog profiles where our beloved departed "Dukes" stars are laid to rest

Our friend Brian Lombard is at it again, this time turning to Hazzard County in his "Six Feet Under Hollywood" blog. In this morning's post, he shows us where the cast members of "The Dukes of Hazzard" who have gone on to their great reward have been laid to rest. Sorrell Booke, Denver Pyle, Waylon Jennings, Peggy Rea, Christopher Mayer, James Best, Parley Baer ... you know the list if you're a "Dukes" fan. Take a little Hazzard history lesson and a road trip on the Six Feet Under blog ...

 

Terrific TV Toys: Miss Piggy plush doll by Fisher-Price

What an interesting premise for a TV show -- a bunch of puppets running their own TV show. That was "The Muppet Show," an outgrowth of a series everyone grew up with, "Sesame Street." Jim Henson's Muppets aired in the evening, though, capturing also a wide adult audience in its original run from 1976 to 1981. And one of the stars of that show, voiced and operated by Frank Oz, was the unstoppable, French-speaking, lavender-wearing, karate-chopping Miss Piggy.

Fisher-Price Toys released a couple "dress-up" dolls in 1980, one of Kermit the Frog and the one starring in this month's episode of Terrific TV Toys, Miss Piggy. She's all divine diva, as you will see ...

"Dynasty" fan adds to his screen-used clothing collection

We know Elizabeth Taylor never appeared on "Dynasty," but she sure could have. She did guest-star on daytime soap "General Hospital" back in the '80s, after all, in all her '80s-trademark beauty. So perhaps it seems fitting that a certain hard-core "Dynasty" fan, whose collection of gowns from the series we have profiled on this blog before, has branched out in his collecting. His latest acquisition is the lavender gown Ms. Taylor wore in the marketing campaign for her Passion perfume, shown below.

 

We had to ask how he acquired this magnificent piece. "The owner of it reached out to me three years ago through my blog," he says. "Three years later I finally got it! Was a long wait."

 

He also tells BRBTV: "I have a Linda Evans negligee on the horizon, too. Besides the Linda piece, this is my full collection minus sketches and smaller items."

 

 

 

How does he store or display these wonderful treasures? "I keep them in archival acid-free boxes and tissue paper. Put them on a mannequin for taking photos for my blog." He adds, "Not sure what I’m going to do for photographing the Elizabeth gown as she was MUCH shorter and curvier than the standard mannequin I have." 

 

He offers us this glimpse of the gown worn by Diahann Carroll above, along with photos of her in the gown for "Dynasty" / "The Colbys" ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there's this masterpiece ... This author remembers Joan Collins wearing this landmark outfit on the series. Red on red on red on red ... the ultimate in feminine power, right down to the red gloves and purse. Just love this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This collector enjoys his privacy, but he does have a blog that showcases more of his collection:

https://nolanmillercollector.blogspot.com/

 

Do you have any costumes or sketches from "Dynasty"? Share your collection! Email BRBTV at brb@brbtv.com, or this collector at NolanMillerCouture@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of the Nolan Miller Collector blog; please do not copy without permission.

 

TGIF: How about some action figure joy???

Here we are -- we made it to Friday. And some weeks, that's a bigger task than others! Especially when you're wrestling with an earth-shattering bug of some kind you caught last week ...

Anyway, Will Rodgers, author of "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion," offers us some action figure fun to lift our spirits and get us in the mood for the weekend. These photos of some figs from his collection were posted in the DC Comics Classic Animation: The Saturday Morning Era Fan Page on Facebook. They are from the recent DC comics blockbuster big-screen outings ...

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Will Rodgers; please do not copy without permission.

 

 

Terrific non-TV Toys: Archie Comics plush dolls by Mattel, Applause, Kelly Toys

If you've been watching the CW's "Riverdale," then you have a fresh, modern take on the characters of Archie Comics. We invite you to explore Archie's roots on the printed page in the March episode of the new "Terrific non-TV Toys" web series.

Inspired by the comics that began in the 1940s, these three plush dolls from three different eras are lively and fun. Take the 1977 Mattel Archie doll, part of a larger series the company released at that time, many of which can be snagged on eBay right now. Then there's the 1987 series by Applause / Presents, big and robust at 18-19" high. We complete the plush doll study with a Betty from the claw games at the mall or grocery store. She's from 2005 or so and also part of a larger set, all adorable in her jeans and shirt.

Terrific TV Toys: Ensign Chekov Transporter figure by Playmates

When "Star Trek" first aired in the late 1960s, Ensign Chekov was the young'un of the crew, reportedly brought in to appeal to a younger demographic for the show. Played by Walter Koenig, he was heavily accented and a bit of a Monkee or Beatle or something like that as he faithfully served his captain.

In 1998, Playmates captured that image of Chekov in one of a series of "Star Trek" action figures with an interesting interactive slant -- each character is on a Transporter pad ready to beam into action, and batteries (included!) light up the stand and their legs. It's a bit clever, if not totally accurate, and fun for any "Trek" fan. It's also the subject of this month's episode of Terrific TV Toys ...

When's the last time you dropped in on the Bat Cave?

And yea, that's "Bat Cave" with two words, because we're actually talking about a town, not the famous hideout of the Caped Crusader. Our roving reporter Jason snapped us these cool photos as he was out and about in North Carolina.

You'd think that was the best thing ever, to live in a town called Bat Cave, but this burg is actually all about the bats, not our hero Batman. Rats.

 

Photos by Jason G.; please don't copy without permission.

 

 

Next up for John Schneider: Detroit Autorama

If you're anywhere near Detroit this weekend, you can catch John ("Bo Duke") Schneider of "The Dukes of Hazzard" at the annual Autorama event happening at Cobo Hall. That's on Sunday only for him, but the day before, Schneider will be in concert at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, (Saturday, March 3). Get your tickets at
https://www.opry.com/calendar/grand-ole-opry-sat-3-mar.

Beyond that, our ole Bo will also be in concert at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, Missouri, on April 25. Get more information at https://us.eventbu.com/marshfield/2018-missouri-cherry-blossom-festival-in-marshfield-mo/6639283. Thanks once again to Phyllis for the heads-up!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl figures by Funko

Funko has done a variety of figures celebrating the beautiful women of the DC Universe. There are Supergirls, Wonder Women, Harleys, in varying sizes. There also are some smashing Batgirls, and we look at two of those Batgirl figures / collectibles in the second episode of Terrific non-TV Toys.

"Dukes" cast members make appearances at Cooter's Place

Your favorite cast members of "The Dukes of Hazzard" are making the rounds at Ben Jones' Cooter's Place locations in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Luray, Virginia, in the coming weeks and months:

Upcoming Appearances: Cooter's Gatlinburg

March 16-17: Sonny Shroyer “Enos”

March 25 – April 2: Rick Hurst “Deputy Cletus”

May 22-29: Rick Hurst “Deputy Cletus”

July 13-14: Sonny Shroyer “Enos”

December 26 - January 2: Rick Hurst “Deputy Cletus”

See the whole Cooter's Place Gatlinburg event schedule.

Upcoming Appearances: Cooter's Luray

Saturdays at Cooter's Luray: 1-3 p.m. Ben Jones and "Cooter’s Garage Band” performing

Saturdays at Cooter's Luray: 3-4 p.m. Ben "Cooter" Jones signing autographs

Sundays at Cooter's Luray: 2-4 p.m. Free Bluegrass concerts

See the whole Cooter's Place Luray event schedule.

New blog shines a light on stars that are "Six Feet Under"

Writer Brian Lombard has contributed some fine posts to this blog on several occasion. He's an avid fan of classic television shows. Graves, however, are an area of expertise for Brian. Graves, you say? Well, yes, Brian researches and visits celebrity graves. And he photographs them. His photos have been featured in several BRBTV products, such as "Let's Roll, Kato: A Guide to TV's Green Hornet" by yours truly and "The Ultimate Super Friends Companion" by Will Rodgers.

Brian is now sharing his experiences in a new blog, Six Feet Under. In it he has already detailed the final resting places of several stars of classic TV:

• Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows and Art Carney of "The Honeymooners"
• Mr. Rogers
• Norman Fell, John Ritter, Audra Lindley and Don Knotts of "Three's Company"
• The Three Stooges

Some of these graves are very touching tributes to the stars themselves; take Knotts' embellished headstone, for instance, depicting some of his iconic roles. If you can't make the trip yourself to pay your respects to your favorite star, or especially if you are planning to, this new blog is a truly unique guide.

Things are always comin' up orange -- and maybe some green -- at Cooter's Place

Our roving reporter Jason is at it again, digging up "The Dukes of Hazzard" wherever he travels! This time, it was a trip to Cooter's Place in Nashville yesterday, when he snapped some fresh photos for us ...

Can you believe this new addition to the place ... Cooter's race car from the episode "Luke's Love Story"?

Among the offerings are now these canvas prints for $100 each.

 

On Don Pedro Colley, aka Sheriff Little: "Couldn't help but stop and pay some respect to the man," Jason said. "Wish I had just 1 min to say thank you to him for all he has done."

Jason got himself ... well, a few little things, ya know ... We won't show you the receipt, but he did snag some good stuff, like signed and/or discontinued cars ...

Photos by Jason G.; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: "Justice League" toys from Subway

Let's hit the ground runnin' first thing on a Monday morning, shall we, with another episode of Terrific TV Toys. This time, we follow up the last episode with another look at a great item from the "Justice League" animated series of the early 2000s. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. They were the core seven of "JL," which would later branch out into "Justice League Unlimited" with lots of other heroes added. This toy set, released in the Subway Kids Pak in 2002, celebrated all our heroes.

TV-related treasures abound at Metro Detroit toy show

The toy show at the Royal Oak, Mich., farmer's market is one we always look forward to. It's bigger than most local toy shows, and it's always brimming with wonderful TV-related memorabilia and collectibles. Here's a sprinkling of what we saw last weekend at this show, from "Starsky and Hutch" to "All in the Family" to "The Price is Right" and more ...

 

My cousin had this Evel Knievel stuff as a kid. Remember the little motorcycle that the figure could ride! Love it.

 

You don't often see the Batcopter that went with the Batman Mego figure of the '70s!

 

I had totally forgotten, until I saw this keychain on the table, that I had that full-size Missing Link puzzle toy as a kid! I wonder where that went ...

 

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

Announcing a brand-new web series from BRBTV!

Ooooohhhhhh .... so many toys, so little time ...

That's the lament around BRBTV headquarters. So many wonderful collectibles procured from toy shows, birthdays and Christmas, shopping online, shopping down the road ... So much great stuff displayed on shelves or still stuck in boxes because there's no room on the shelves ... Figures, plates, plush items, other memorabilia ... It is the collector's desire to share, and share is what this collector will do, with a brand-new web series launching today on BRBTV.

It's Terrific non-TV Toys, the spinoff of Terrific TV Toys, which incidentally, just started its fifth big season! 

It's movies like 2008's "The Dark Knight" and the 2016 Batsignal model kit you'll see in this inaugural episode below. It's comics like the beloved Archies. It's comic strips like Peanuts. It's pop culture like Barbie, and the Darci and Dawn dolls from the '70s. It's wide open, baby! If it's collected and fun, you might see it here.



As the creator, producer, writer, director, whatever (!), I intend to have fun with this! And I hope you will, too.

Spotted: A "General Lee" of a different sort

Our roving reporter Jason, an avid "Dukes of Hazzard" fan, saw this site in Georgia and just had to share. Though we'd love to think this is a reference to our beloved classic TV show and its blazin' orange automotive star, we realize that Georgia, in addition to being the birthplace of the "Dukes," is also home to a lot of Civil War history. Sooooo ...

Photo by Jason G.; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: Wonder Woman plush doll by Toy Works

The "Justice League" animated series that first aired in 2001 featured the voice of Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, one of seven core characters to launch the show, which would later broaden and add many more heroes. So, with Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter, our favorite Amazon fought the bad guys and kept the world safe. Toy Works released a set of plush dolls for "Justice League," both in a smaller size of 10 or so inches high and a larger size of 16-17 inches high. It's one of those "amazon" Amazons we look at now, for the launch of the fifth season of Terrific TV Toys. Wow, a fifth big year of having so much fun showing you all kinds of crazy toys related to TV shows ...



Stay tuned, because later this month we launch a spinoff series of T3, and you won't want to miss the goodies we have in store for this sister series!

"Three's Company" -- and with Gloria Vanderbilt it's a happy crowd

Fallon wore them a time or two on "Dynasty." Mindy wore them on "Mork and Mindy." And on "Three's Company," both Janet and Chrissy were known to wear them a lot. They were Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, so hot-hot-hot in the late '70s and early-to-mid-'80s. For classic TV shows like these, dressing core characters in the iconic designer jeans was very much a reflection of the times.

This author has loved Gloria Vanderbilt jeans -- and Gloria Vanderbilt everything else, like fragrances, shirts, dresses, shoes, jewelry, glassware and more -- since that late-'70s heyday. It was with great delight that I recently rewatched the entire "Three's Company" series on Antenna TV -- a TV show I had watched, also, when it originally aired. But now, years later, I discovered all the many, many instances when the females on that show wore GV jeans, a label that originated with Murjani in 1976. Much of the time the girls were wearing the standard blue denim jeans with orange stitching that became such a huge trademark for Vanderbilt, but other times, the styles varied.

So for a highly quirky, can't-find-it-anywhere-else feature on this BRBTV News Blog, you are hereby presented with the uber-geeky index of every discernible appearance of GVs on the series.

(I mean, seriously -- where else are you going to find something like this????)





Now, we will preface this by saying that the girls -- Janet in particular -- were spotted wearing other brands of designer jeans on the series, which ran from March 1977 to September 1984. You would see Calvin Klein jeans a few times, and even Sasson. But with this list we submit that Gloria Vanderbilts were worn more than any other brand. You be the judge ...

S3, Ep14 16 Jan. 1979 The Older Woman
Chrissy: Tan pants / jeans


S3, Ep18 20 Feb. 1979 The Harder They Fall
Chrissy: Tan pants / jeans


S3, Ep23 / “ The Ropers ” – Stanley, the Ladies Man
Mrs. Brookes: standard blue denim jeans (with orange stitching)


S4, Ep2 11 Sep. 1979 Jack on the Lam
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep2 18 Sep. 1979 Love Thy Neighbor
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep4 2 Oct. 1979 Snow Job
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep5 9 Oct. 1979 Jack the Ripper
Janet: pale blue denim jeans with light stitching
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep6 23 Oct. 1979 The Life Saver
Chrissy: standard blue denim jeans (dark and new)
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep7 30 Oct. 1979 Old Folks at Home
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep8 6 Nov. 1979 A-Camping We Will Go
Chrissy: standard blue denim jeans
Janet: pale blue denim jeans with light stitching

S4, Ep9 13 Nov. 1979 Chrissy's Hospitality
Janet: pale blue denim jeans with light stitching
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep11 27 Nov. 1979 The Love Barge
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep15 8 Jan. 1980 Larry Loves Janet
Chrissy: hot pink pants
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep18 29 Jan. 1980 Handcuffed
Janet: standard blue denim jeans
Chrissy: standard blue denim jeans


S4, Ep19 5 Feb. 1980 And Baby Makes Two
Janet: standard blue denim jeans 


S4, Ep21 26 Feb. 1980 Lee Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
Chrissy: hot pink pants
Chrissy: standard blue denim jeans 


S4, Ep22 4 Mar. 1980 The Root of All Evil
Janet: standard blue denim jeans
Chrissy: hot pink pants 


S4, Ep25 6 May 1980 Jack's Graduation
Janet: standard blue denim jeans
Chrissy: hot pink pants





S5, Ep2 11 Nov. 1980 And Justice for Jack
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep4 25 Nov. 1980 Downhill Chaser
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep5 2 Dec. 1980 A Crowded Romance
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep6 9 Dec. 1980 Room at the Bottom
Janet: standard blue denim jeans
Chrissy: Tan pants / jeans 


S5, Ep7 16 Dec. 1980 Chrissy's Cousin
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep8 6 Jan. 1981 Jack to the Rescue
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep10 20 Jan. 1981 Jack's Other Mother
Janet: standard blue denim jeans
(And possibly Janet’s beige pants from “Father of the Bride”)


S5, Ep14 17 Feb. 1981 Furley vs. Furley
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep15 24 Feb. 1981 In Like Larry
Janet: standard blue denim jeans

S5, Ep16 3 Mar. 1981 Teacher's Pet
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep17 10 Mar. 1981 And Baby Makes Four
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep19 24 Mar. 1981 Double Trouble
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S5, Ep20 5 May 1981 Dying to Meet You
Janet: standard blue denim jeans






S6, Ep1 6 Oct. 1981 Jack Bares All: Part 1
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S6, Ep2 6 Oct. 1981 Jack Bares All: Part 2
Janet: standard blue denim jeans

S6, Ep5 3 Nov. 1981 Some of That Jazz
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S6, Ep10 8 Dec. 1981 Dates of Wrath
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S6, Ep12 5 Jan. 1982 Strangers in the Night
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S6, Ep13 12 Jan. 1982 The Matchbreakers
Janet: standard blue denim jeans


S6, Ep15 26 Jan. 1982 Maid to Order
Brunette at bar: standard blue denim jeans
Jack’s date Rita: hot pink pants


S8, Ep8 29 Nov. 1983 Like Father, Like Son
Janet: blue-black denim with newer stitching

As the year draws to a close ...

We're at the end of another year, and this is the time when folks take stock. Looking back at the past year, this author can't help but be thankful for a few really good friends. A person can have a lot of friends, but once in a while you're blessed to have a rarer variety of friend like Jason, whom I half-tongue-in-cheek refer to on occasion as BRBTV's "roving reporter" because he seems to find interesting "Dukes of Hazzard" stuff wherever he goes. Jason had these fabbo "company" hats made for me for Christmas. So super-cool.

I hope that everyone reading this has been blessed in some way this year, and that 2018 holds great, great things.

Happy New Year from BRBTV!

Terrific TV Toys: "Green Hornet" spoon, 1966

It's the first-ever collectible spoon featured on the Terrific TV Toys series, and we know it's stretching the definition of "toy" -- but hey, everything collectible is a toy to us!!! This one is from the 1966 "Green Hornet" TV series starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee. This is the third episode of T3 to honor the "GH" show, following earlier episodes on the playing cards and View-Master reels. This spoon is nice, and it's in great shape. Check it out ...





This one is the final episode of the fourth season of the show! We'll be back in 2018 for Season 5, though, so stay tuned! And ... with a spinoff series, even! Yay! Until then ...

The Merriest of Christmases to you and your loved ones!!!!!

The Hall of Heroes Museum covers every angle of the classic American superhero

Elkhart, Indiana, a small town near the state's northern border, provides the setting for a museum of all things superhero. It is an unsuspecting place, for sure, amid the snow of a Midwestern winter and the quiet of a Sunday afternoon, but full of all kinds of comic book delights. From the Batman costume Adam West (really) wore for personal appearances in the '70s to the familiar red costume worn by William Katt of "The Greatest American Hero" to any kind of action figure you can possibly name, the Hall of Heroes Museum has quite a collection. Even a couple star vehicles -- the actual motorcycle used in "Ghost Rider," and the "Iron Man" 1965 Shelby Cobra donated by Richard Rawlings of "Fast N' Loud."

Allen Stewart is the proprietor of this fine establishment, and he's more than happy to chat as you visit. He's been featured on several TV shows, besides "Fast N' Loud." The outside of the building, as you can see below, is a tribute to the Hall of Justice on "The Super Friends." There's all kinds of other TV-related stuff here. We just couldn't help but share, after a nice drive there yesterday ...

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand